[unreadable] [unreadable] This program is designed to provide short-term training for minority undergraduate, graduate and health professional students. The focus is on research training in the cardiovascular sciences with three areas of specialization: 1) molecular/cellular 2) hypertension/endocrinology and 3) cardiovascular epidemiology. The program takes advantage of the broad, multidisciplinary cardiovascular research, which is established at Wright State University School of Medicine, The 22 mentors are located in Pharmacology/Toxicology, Physiology/Anatomy, Biological Sciences, Biochemistry/Molecular Biology and Lifespan Health Research Center. The educators are at various career stages, from the assistant to full professor and all have financial support for their research programs. The trainees are minority students, primarily at the undergraduate level, who will participate in a research project in the laboratory of one or more of the mentors. Examples of specific topics include neural-endocrine control of respiration and blood pressure, gene regulation, cellular signaling, ion channels, volume regulation, stress biology and immunology. There will also be a formal program structure to provide exposure to scientific literature, research lectures, ethics training. The program will conclude with a research symposium at which the students will present their work and compete for awards. The recruitment uses mailings, a website and personal contacts with a database of selected universities. Program evaluation will be performed annually. In addition, a questionnaire will be sent for follow-up of previous participants. In the last granting period, we successfully filled all of the trainee positions (48 over 4 yrs) and received positive feedback on the program. The overall components of the program are: [unreadable] 1. Introduce the students to biomedical research via hands-on participation in a research project; [unreadable] 2. Introduce the students to critical scientific evaluation, scientific writing and ethics; [unreadable] 3. Provide information on career choices, including a visit to the research laboratories of a pharmaceutical company (Proctor & Gamble); [unreadable] 4. Conclude the program with a research symposium in which the students present their research projects and compete for awards; [unreadable] 5. Foster a long-term commitment to pursue a career in the medical and behavioral sciences through an [unreadable] experience that exemplifies the excitement and challenges of clinically relevant investigation. [unreadable] [unreadable]